Jay Bruce, Retired


Date of Birth: 4/3/1987
Birthplace: Beaumont, Texas

Jay Bruce, retired right fielder, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2005. He played in their minor league system from 2005 through 2007 and for part of the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He ended his minor league career with a .308 batting average.

In 2008, his first year with the Reds, Bruce batted .254 with 105 hits, 17 doubles, 21 home runs, and 52 RBIs in 108 games. The following year, he had a fractured wrist and spent time on the DL and in the minors. In 2009, he played in 101 games with the Reds.

Bruce had a good 2010 season, batting a career high .281 with 143 hits, 23 doubles, 25 home runs, and 70 RBIs in 148 games. Two years later, he won his first Silver Slugger award. In 2012, he batted .252 with 141 hits, 35 doubles, a career high 34 home runs, and 99 RBIs in 155 games.

In 2013, Bruce again won a Silver Slugger award. He batted .252 with career highs in hits (164), doubles (43), and RBIs (109). He also hit 30 home runs in 2013. His 2014 season was not nearly as good. He finished the season with 107 hits, 21 doubles, 18 home runs, 66 RBIs, and a .217 batting average in 137 games.

Bruce finished the 2015 season with 131 hits, 35 doubles, 26 home runs, 87 RBIs, and a .226 batting average. As a right fielder, he made 300 putouts and 3 errors in 150 games and he had a .990 fielding percentage.

Bruce was traded to the New York Mets on August 1, 2016. He struggled with the Mets, batting .219 with just 8 home in 50 games with them. His overall numbers for 2016 include 135 hits, 27 doubles, 33 home runs, and 99 RBIs in 97 games with the Reds and 50 games with the Mets. In the postseason, he had no hits in 3 at-bats in 1 game. Defensively, during the regular season, he played 138 games in right field and he made 265 putouts and 6 errors.

The Mets exercised their club option for Bruce for 2017 on November 3, 2016. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians on August 9, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 141 hits, 29 doubles, a career high 36 home runs, 101 RBIs, 139 strikeouts to 57 walks, and a .254 batting average in 103 games with the Mets and 43 games with the Indians. Defensively, as a right fielder in 133 games, he made 251 putouts and 4 errors. In the postseason, he had 5 hits, including 2 home runs, and 4 RBIs in 18 at-bats in 5 games. His home run and three RBIs in game 1 of the ALDS gave the Indians the win.

Bruce elected free agency on November 2, 2017. He re-signed with the Mets on January 16, 2018. Bruce had a poor season with the Mets in 2018. He spent quite a bit of time on the DL, playing in just 94 games with them. He had 71 hits, 18 doubles, 37 RBIs, and a .223 batting average. He hit just 9 home runs all season. Defensively, he played 64 games in right field and 21 games at first base.

Bruce was traded to the Seattle Mariners on December 3, 2018. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 2, 2019. He spent part of the 2019 season on the DL with a right oblique strain and with a left flexor strain. He finished the season with 67 hits, 17 doubles, 26 home runs, 59 RBIs, 82 strikeouts to 19 walks, and a .216 batting average in 47 games with the Mariners and 51 games with the Phillies. Defensively, he played 16 games at first base, 37 games in left field, and 24 games in right field.

Bruce played in 32 games in 2020. He finished the season with 19 hits, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, 14 RBIs, 24 strikeouts to 7 walks, and a .198 batting average. Defensively, he played 2 games at first base, 11 games in left field, and 6 games in right field. He was the DH in 10 games.

Bruce became a free agent on October 28, 2020. He signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees on February 12, 2021.

Bruce retired on April 18, 2021.

Statistics for Bruce in twelve seasons (2008-2020) in the major leagues include:

  • 2 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 164 in 2013
  • 3 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 43 in 2013
  • 10 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 36 in 2017

Career batting statistics for Bruce through 2020 include:

  • 1,640 games played
  • 1,451 hits
  • 311 doubles
  • 318 home runs
  • 948 RBIs
  • 1,559 strikeouts to 595 walks
  • .245 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Bruce as a right fielder through 2020 include:

  • 1,437 games played
  • 2,827 putouts
  • 48 errors
  • .984 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jay Bruce
ESPN - Jay Bruce